Uber’s Drone Delivery Bet: 1 Million Daily Trips by 2029

Ambitious commitments by DoorDash and now Uber could reshape low-altitude airspace.

Jack Daleo

Monday, August 17, 2026 at 12:30 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Uber and Zipline are the latest drone delivery partners seeking to scale operations nationwide. [Credit: Zipline]

Key Takeaways:

Major delivery platforms, including Uber, Walmart, Amazon, and DoorDash, are rapidly adopting and expanding drone delivery services, aiming to significantly reduce trip times.
Uber has partnered with and strategically invested in Zipline, targeting 1 million daily drone deliveries by 2029 with 5-10 minute delivery times, starting this year in cities like Dallas and Houston.
The growth of commercial drone delivery, marked by advanced drones like Zipline's P2, is pushing the industry from pilot programs to routine services and intensifying competition among delivery giants.
The full-scale expansion of autonomous drone delivery hinges on the FAA's imminent finalization of the Part 108 rule, which would permit routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations despite safety concerns from pilots.

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App- and web-based delivery platforms from Walmart, Amazon, DoorDash, and now Uber are embracing small drones to slash trip times in a trend that could reshape low-altitude U.S. airspace.

Uber on Monday announced it is partnering with drone manufacturer and operator Zipline, which is also a partner of Walmart and competitor Wonder, the parent company of Grubhub. By the end of 2029, Uber and Zipline hope to achieve a cadence of 1 million daily drone deliveries, with “goals to expand far beyond that.”